By reaction with a di-2-oxazoline cross linking of addition polymers containing combined free carboxyl

ABSTRACT

Cross-linking of addition polymers containing free carboxyl groups by utilizing, as a cross-linking agent, from 0.1 to 10 equivalents per equivalent of free carboxyl of a di-2-oxazoline of the formula   IN THE ABOVE FORMULAE EACH R represents hydrogen or alkyl having from one to four carbon atoms; X&#39;&#39; represents ethyleneoxy or propyleneoxy; R&#39;&#39; represents hydrogen or alkyl having from one to three carbon atoms; X&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; represents oxygen or sulfur; and R&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; represents alkylene of from two to 20 carbon atoms, arylene of from six to 10 carbon atoms or arylakylene of from seven to 15 carbon atoms.

iJnited States Patent 11 1 14 1 Sept. 11, 1973 [75] Inventor: Bruce P. Thill, Midland, Mich.

[73] Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company,

Midland, Mich.

[221 Filed: May 7, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 141,415

I [52] US. Cl. 260/80.8, 260/78.5 T, 260/79.5 C,

260/79.5 PR, 260/80 P, 260/80.3 N, 260/80.3 R, 260/82.1, 260/85.5 S, 260/85.7, 260/86.1 R, 260/87.5 R, 160/87.7, 260/88.1 PC,

' 117/ 124 E [51] Int. Cl. C081 27/08 [58] Field of Search 260/80.8, 78.5 T, 260/79.5 PR, 79.5 C, 80 P, 80.3 R

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,547,497 4 1951 Rowland 260/101 2,794,742 6/1957 Fowler et al 96/87 2,931,742 4/1960 Hicks 117/161 3,192,224 6/1965 Kapar 260/307 3,342,896 9/1967 Zimmerman et a1. 260/837 3,419,520 12/1968 Campbell et al 2601415 3,535,291 10/1970 Riemhofer et 260/78.5 3,609,161 9/1971 Dowbenko 260/307 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 752,046 12/1970 Belgium OTHER PUBLICATIONS Fry, J. Org. Chem., 15, 802 (1952) Kagiya ct aL, J. Polymer Sci., Pt. 13., 4 (1966) Primary ExaminerJoscph L. Schofcr Assistant ExaminerStanford M. Levin AttorneyGriswold & Burdick, Ronald G. Brookens and Albin R. Lindstrom 57 1 ABSTRACT Cross-linking of addition polymers containing free carboxyl groups by utilizing, as a cross-linking agent, from 0.1 to 10 equivalents per equivalent of free carboxyl of a di-2-oxazo1ine of the formula wherein X represents in the above formulae each R represents hydrogen or alkyl having from one to four carbon atoms; X represents ethyleneoxy or propyleneoxy; R represents hydrogen or alkyl having from one to three carbon atoms; X" represents oxygen or sulfur; and R" represents alkylene of from two to 20 carbon atoms, arylene of from six to 10 carbon atoms or arylakylene of from seven to 15 carbon atoms.

4 Claims, N0 Drawings CROSS-LINKING OF ADDITION POLYMERS CONTAINING COMBINED FREE CARBOXYL BY REACTION WITH A DI-Z-OXAZOLINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Bis-2-oxazolines are known in the literature as monomers in the preparation of polymeric imidoesters, e.g. as disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,547,497, issued Apr. 3, 1951; as epoxy cross-linking agents, e.g., as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,192,224, issued June 29, 1965; and as vulcanization enhancers, e.g. asdisclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,419,520, issued Dec. 31, 1968. Further, the ring opening reaction of 2-substituted-2-oxazolines by carboxylic acids is known, e.g. as disclosed by E. M. Fry, J. Org. Chem., 15, 802 (1950), and has been applied to the coreaction of a dicarboxylic acid with a bisoxazoline to produce linear polyamide esters, e.g. as disclosed by Kagiya et al, J. Polymer Sci., Pt. B. 4, 257 (1966).

SUMMARY It has now been discovered, which discovery represents the present invention, that utilization of certain di-2 -oxazoiine compounds as cross-linking agents for addition polymers containing combined free carboxyl (-COOi-I), provides cross-linked polymers of excellent solvent resistance and unexpectedly good flexibility while eliminating the necessity for the use of catawherein X represents in the above formulae each R represents hydrogen or alkyl having from one to four carbon atoms; X represents ethyleneoxy or propyleneoxy; R represents hydrogen or alkyl having from one to'threecarbon atoms; X" represents oxygen or sulfur; and'R represents alkylene of from two to 20 carbon atoms, arylene of from six to 10 carbon atoms, or arylalkylene of from seven to carbon atoms.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The addition polymers utilized in the present invention contain combined fr'ee carboxyl (--COOH) preferably in an amount of from I to percent by weight of the polymer.

Exemplary of such polymers are those materials prepared from polymerizable monomeric ethylenically unsaturated compounds including the C ,-C primary and acrylate, 'ethyl acrylate, propyland isopropyl acrylates, butyl-, isobutyland sec.-butyl acrylates, amyland isoamyl acrylates, hexyl'acrylate, Z-ethylhexyl acrylate, lauryl acrylate, octyl acrylate, 3,5 ,5- trimethylhexyl acrylate, decyl acrylate, dodecyl acrylate, cetyl acrylate, octadecyl acrylate, octadecenyl acrylate and the like; and C C primary and secondary alkyl esters of methacrylicacid, such as methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, isopropyl-, butyl-, isobutyl-, and sec.-butyl methacrylates, n-amyl methacrylate, sec.-amyl methacrylate, hexyl methacrylate, 2--ethylbutyl methacrylate, Z-ethylhexyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate, octyl methacrylate, 3,5,5-trimethylhexyl methacrylate, decyl methacrylate, dodecyl methacrylate, octadecyl methacrylate and the like.

Also contemplated as useful comonomers may be acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile; as well as acrylamide, methacrylamide, ethacrylamide, ethylenebisacrylamide, N-tert.-butylacrylamide and the like.

Various monoalkenyl aromatic hydrocarbons of the benzene series may be suitable comonomers for the presently intended purpose and such monomers are characterized by the general formula: I

wherein Ar, selected independently, represents an aromatic hydrocarbon and a nuclear halohydrocarbon radical and R is hydrogen, a C,-C alkyl radical, or a halogen radical having an atomic numberof from 17 to 35, including styrene, a-methylstyrene, omethylstyrene, p-methylstyrene, m-methylstyrene, arethylstyrene, propylstyrenes, butyl-styrenes, archlorostyrene, ar-bromostyre ne and the like. Other monomeric .ethylenically unsaturated compounds'contemplated as comonomers for present purposes can be open-chain aliphatic conjugated dienes having from four to nine carbon atoms, such as butadiene, isoprene and the like; as well as vinyl ester monomers including vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinyl butyrate and the like; and vinylidene chloride.

The free unsaturated carboxylic acids capable of being copolymerized in-the formation of the described conic acid or crotonic acid. It is of particular advantage to use simple unsaturated monocarboxylic acids having a methylene group bound to the alpha carbon atom of the general formula capo-coonin which R represents hydrogen, halogen or a lower alkyl radical, for example, methacrylic acid, alpha secondary alkyl esters of acrylic acid, such as methyl chloroacrylic acid and especially acrylic acid.

The di-2-oxazolines used in the present invention are known, e.g., as disclosed in Belgium Pat No. 752,046, issued Dec. 16, I970 and may be prepared by the procedurcs disclosed therein. In general, such compounds are prepared by'any of a group of synthetic routes all cle. The only condition believed to be limiting is that, with respect to the reactions that go on from the cyano to the heterocycle, preferably the cyano be the most reactive or only significantly reactive site; or, if any other site on the starting cyano compound be more reactive than cyano, then known alternative procedures must be considered.

Exemplary of such di-2-oxazolines are 2,2- oxydiethylenebis-2-oxazoline; 2,2-thiodiethylenebis-2- oxazoline; 2,2-oxybis(p-phenylenemethylene)bis-2- oxazoline; 2,2'-oxydi-p-phenylenebis-Z-oirazoline; 2,2- propylenebis(oxyethy1ene)bis-2-oxazoline; 2,2- ethylene-bis(oxyethylene)bis-2-oxazoline; 2,2-viny1enebis-2-oxazoline; 2,2'-vinylenebis(methy1- 2-oxazoline); 2,2-(1,3-butadienylene)bis-2-oxazoline and 2,2-tetramethyl-enebis-Z-oxazoline.

The described di-2-oxazolines are employed in amounts of from 0.1 to equivalents per equivalent of free carboxyl present in the described addition polymers, which polymers preferably contain from 1 to about 20 percent of free carboxyl based on polymer weight. In this regard, if greater than about 10 equivalents of di-2-oxazoline are used, the resulting polymeric reaction product may become undesirably discolored and the di-2-oxazoline may exude therefrom; on the other hand, if less than 1 equivalent of di-2-oxazo1ine is used, insufficient cross-linking occurs. Following addition of the prescribed amounts of di-2-oxazo1ine to the free carboxyl containing addition polymer, crosslinking is effected, in the absence of catalysts and undesirable reaction by-products, by merely heating the mixture to curing temperatures. Generally, temperatures between about 120 and 150C are sufficient if maintained for a period of at least about 2 hours. Lower temperatures with corresponding longer periods of heating, can be utilized if desired.

The present invention is particularly useful for preparing cross-linked polymeric film materials having excellent chemical resistance and unexpectedly good flexibility, by a process comprising preparing a solution of the addition polymer in an inert solvent therefore, then dissolving the di-2-oxazolinetherein and casting a film from the resultant solution. Thereafter, the solvent is removed, as by evaporation, and the polymeric residue is cured by heating. The following example is intended to illustrate the present invention but is not to be construed as limiting its scope.

EXAMPLE 1 A. Preparation of Free Carboxyl Containing Addition Polymer To 270 g of a 1:1 benzene-ethylacetate solution containing 0.2 g of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) at reflux under nitrogen was added, dropwise with stirring over 2.5. hours, a nitrogen-purged solution of 30 g of of methacrylic acid, 165 g of methyl methacrylate and 105 g of butyl acrylate together with 2.0 g of AlBN. One hour after completion of the addition an additional 0.4 g of AIBN in g of benzene-ethylacetate was added and such addition repeated 2 hours after the addition was complete. The reaction mixture was held at reflux for a total of 8 hours. Calculated percent solids is 50.2 percent and actual percent solids was 51.06 percent. Molecular weight by osmometry (M,,) was found to be 27,000. B. Addition of bis-oxazoline and film formation Series 1: 2,2-Thiodiethylenebis-2-oxazoline A sample of the above addition copolymer was diluted to 10 percent solids with a 1:1 ratio of benzene and ethylacetate and 10 g samples each containing 0.00116 eg. of carboxyl group were combined with from 0.1-1O eq. of 2,2'-thiodiethylenebis-2-oxazoline based on free carboxyl groups in the polymer. The weight of bis-oxazoline added to each sample is listed in the following table;

TABLE 1 No. of eq. Sample Wgt. added Eq. added bis-oxazoline bis-oxazoline bis-oxazoline based on free carboxyl A 1.32 g 0.0058 10.0 B 0.66 0.0029 5.0 C 0.132 0.00058 1.0 D 0.066 0.00029 0.5 E 0.013 0.000058 0.1 F 0.00 0.0 0.0

TABLE 11 Sixteen Hour Acetone Swelling Tests of Cross-linked Polymers Samples cured two hours at C.

Sample oxazoline/ Length Comment Eq. free Increase carboxyl A 10 109 Waxy yellow appearance B 5 42 Slightly yellow, clear C 1 54 Clear colorless film D 0.5 76 Do. E 0.1 124 Do. F 0 dissolved Do'.

Films were prepared in an analogous manner from 20% solids solutions of the same polymer and cured for various times at C. The results are listed in Table 111.

TABLE III Seventy-two Hour Acetone Swelling Tests of Cross-linked Polymers Eq. of

Sample oxazoline/ length increasd after curing at Eq. of free carboxyl 2 hrs. 4 hrs. 8 hrs. G 1.0 88 60 52 H 0.5 300 83 52 l 0.1 dissolved dissolved 128 Series 2: 2,2'-Oxydiethylenebis-Z-oxazoline A 10 percent solution in benzenezethylacetate (1:1 by weight) of the addition copolymer was combined with 1.0, 0.5 and 0.2 equivalents of 2,2-oxydiethylenebis-2-oxazoline per carboxyl in the polymer. Films were case from these polymers, were cured at 150C for 8 hours, and swelled in acetone for 72 hours. The results are summarized in Table IV.

TABLE V Seventy-two Hour Acetone Swelling Test of 2,2'-Oxydiethylenebis-2-oxazoline Cross-linked Polymer Sample Eq. of oxazoline/ length increase Eq. of free carboxyl J 1.0 32 K 0.5 44 L 0.2 88 M 0.0 dissolved Series 3: Tetramethylenebis-2-oxazoline In Table V are given the results of treating the addition polymer with tetramethylenebis-Z-oxazoline in an exactly analogous fashion.

TABLE V Seventy-two Hour Acetone Swelling Test of Tetramethylelebis-Z-oxazoline Cross-linked Polymer length increase Sample Eq. of oxazoline/ Eq. of free carboxyl N 1.0 52 O 0.5 52 P 0.2 88 O 0.0 dissolved *EZM-dEe wherein X represents and in the above formulae each R represents hydrogen or alkyl having from one to four carbon atoms; X represents ethyleneoxy or propyleneoxy; R represents hydrogen or alkyl having from one to three carbon atoms; X" represents oxygen or sulfur; and R represents alkylene of from two to 20 carbon atoms, arylene of from six to 10 carbon atoms, or arylalkylene of from seven to 15 carbon atoms.

2. The cross-linked addition polymer of claim 1 wherein said addition polymer contains from about I to 20 percent by weight of free carboxyl (-COOH).

3. The cross-linked addition polymer of claim 2 wherein said addition polymer is an interpolymer of methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate and methacrylic acid.

4. The cross-linked addition polymer of Claim 3 wherein said di-2-oxazoline is selected from the group consisting of 2,2-thiodiethylenebis-2-oxazoline, 2,2- oxydiethylenebis-2-oxazoline and 2,2'-tetramethylenebis-2-oxazoline.

' U U i 1 i 

2. The cross-linked addition polymer of claim 1 wherein said addition polymer contains from about 1 to 20 percent by weight of free carboxyl (-COOH).
 3. The cross-linked addition polymer of claim 2 wherein said addition polymer is an interpolymer of methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate and methacrylic acid.
 4. The cross-linked addition polymer of Claim 3 wherein said di-2-oxazoline is selected from the group consisting of 2,2''-thiodiethylenebis-2-oxazoline, 2,2''-oxydiethylenebis-2-oxazoline and 2,2''-tetramethylenebis-2-oxazoline. 